Resistance
by evieeden
Summary: Bella didn't want to like Sam Uley. She really didn't. But somehow he crept up on her without her knowing.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my new story. I really should be working on my others, but the idea just popped into my head and wouldn't go away. In any case, it's my first attempt at a full-length Sam/Bella story so that's kind of exciting for me. I hope you enjoy reading it anyway. Thanks.**

**I don't own anything to do with Twilight.**

**Resistance**

"Hello Bella."

I ignored the man standing hesitantly next to me and continued to swig sullenly from the bottle of light beer sat in front of me. I didn't want to talk, didn't want to think; all I wanted to do was sit here, get drunk and wallow.

The unfamiliar drink was disgusting. I had never really drunk a lot of alcohol before, only the odd glass of wine at my mother's house, but when I had originally slouched down on my stool three hours ago and the bartender had raised an expectant eyebrow, the only drink that immediately came to mind was beer.

Next time I would ask for something different. The man in the suit at the other end of the bar had been sinking whiskeys for the last thirty minutes without pulling a face once. Maybe I would try that next.

"Do you mind if I sit?"

I squinted up at the unwelcome intruder and then shrugged. Sam Uley had over a foot in height and over a hundred pounds on me; it wasn't like I could physically stop him from sitting down next to me.

I didn't have to talk to him though. In fact, I was determined to ignore him.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Sam was just as good at remaining silent as I was. He seemed perfectly content to sit next to me taking quiet sips of the drink that magically appeared in front of him. Clearly he wasn't going to be offering an explanation for why he was here anytime soon.

I finished my beer and signalled to the bartender to bring another. Sam immediately shot that down.

"I think she's had enough already, don't you?" He accompanied his words to the server with a hard glare that sent the other man scurrying away pretty quickly.

My mouth fell open in shock at his presumptuous behaviour.

"What do you think you're doing?" My voice rose loudly with my anger.

He took another long draft before replying. "I think we both know that you've had enough for today."

It was neither an apology nor an explanation. Angry tears began to collect in my eyes.

Who was this man to say what I should or shouldn't do?

Sure he had saved me that night I was lost in the forest, and I guessed I was sort of grateful for that – although at times I did wish that had just left me to die of hypothermia out there. Since then though, he had been nothing but an irritation – a strange shadowy figure who lurked in the corner of my eye every time I left the house.

"You don't know me."

It sounded incredibly stupid and childish, but it was all I could think to say.

No-one, least of all Sam Uley, could say that they knew what I meant, how I thought, and whether or not I wanted another drink, just on the basis of seeing me from a distance a few times a week.

"I know that if you have any more to drink now, you're putting yourself at risk," he stated with that infuriating calmness.

I stared at him incredulously for a full minute and then huffing, slid off my stool and headed out of the bar, dragging my coat and bag behind me. I didn't even bother looking in my truck's direction as I traipsed through the parking lot. I may not have wanted to leave already, but I was well aware that I was in not fit condition to drive.

Holding my bag awkwardly, I shrugged into my coat one arm at a time and crossed over onto the main road.

"You shouldn't walk home alone."

Great. Now I couldn't escape him.

I kept walking.

"Bella," he called across the road. "Bella."

The sound of running footsteps came from behind me and then my arm was grabbed, stopping me in my tracks.

"Bella, wait up."

"Let go of me." I gritted my teeth and yanked angrily against his constraining hand.

To his credit, he immediately released his grasp. "Didn't you hear me over there?" he asked.

"Sam..." I looked up at him, trying to fathom out what he was thinking. "I just want to be left alone, okay? I don't want company and I don't want you doing... whatever it is that you think you're doing here."

He blinked down at me. "One of the guys from the res saw you down here at the bar. He didn't think that you should be drinking, especially since you're underage and he gave me a call."

None of that made any sense to me.

"Why is it any of your business?" I waved my hands in the air. "And why, if the Chief's daughter drinking is such a problem then didn't whoever it was call my dad...or, I don't know... tell the bartender that he shouldn't be serving me? Huh?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps he thought that I would be a better option than the Chief."

"You're never the better option, Sam."

I tried to ignore the flash of hurt on his face as I turned my back on him once more and began my trek again. "I'm sorry," I muttered as I walked away. "I didn't mean that."

"Look." He darted in front of me, making me stop again. "I know I'm not your favourite person right now but I can at least help you get back home safely. You shouldn't be walking all that way by yourself this late at night."

I tried to avoid his knowing gaze. "I'm not going home, so it's fine...thank you," I tagged onto the end.

He frowned. "Well where are you going then?"

I shrugged and looked down at the ground, stubbing the toe of my sneakers into the dirt.

His tone grew suspicious. "Where does Charlie think you're going?"

Biting my lip, I forced myself to gaze up at him defiantly. "Charlie thinks I'm staying over at a friend's."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Okay then. Let me take you there. My truck's in the lot and I haven't had much to drink; I can give you a ride to your friend's house."

Well, damn. Now what was I supposed to say.

Without my noticing, Sam had managed to take my elbow and was slowly leading me back across the road.

Huffing at him, I removed my arm from his grip, but continued to follow him to a grey truck parked away from the others. I climbing into the cab, I had to admit to myself that it was lot warmer in here than if I had been taking the long walk home.

Breathing into my hands, I rubbed them together to warm them up as Sam rounding the cab and climbed behind the driver's seat. He turned the engine on without a word and pulled smoothly out of the parking lot.

There were no streetlights on this stretch of road and the darkness, along with the soft hum of the engine and the warmth of the cab, was lulling me to sleep.

"Bella?"

My eyes fluttered open. Sam was glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Hmm?"

He took one hand off the steering wheel as if he was going to reach towards me, but then thought better of it.

"Bella, where am I going?"

His voice sounded very far away, almost dreamlike. I couldn't understand what he was saying though.

"Huh?"

"Your friend's house," he clarified. "We're nearly back in Forks and I don't know where I need to take you."

That woke me up. The friend's house. The one I had told Charlie, and now Sam, that I was staying out tonight.

Crap. This wasn't working out at all like I'd planned earlier on this afternoon, when in a fit of misery at Jake's rejection in front of his new gang of friends, I had felt that driving to Port Angeles and getting drunk was a really good idea.

At the time I hadn't really worried about how I would get home or where I was supposed to sleep.

I stayed silent, my mind racing as I tried to work out an answer to my problem. I could stay with a friend, I guessed. I expect that if I showed up at her door Angela would let me in, maybe Jess would too, but staying with either of them would require an explanation for why I needed someplace to stay. Plus, the odds on getting caught out by one of their parents were quite high. Charlie was at home so I couldn't go back there – again, more explanations would be required, especially if I showed up without my truck. And the last possible solution to the problem of where I was sleeping tonight, my truck, was currently sat in a parking lot an hour's drive away.

In the old days, the one person I would've been able to turn to in a situation like this, the one person I could rely on, was…

I burst into tears, unable to stop them rolling down my face at the thought that Jake didn't want to be my friend anymore. Normally I tried my best to never cry in front of anyone; I didn't like anyone seeing me that vulnerable. It seemed, however, that the four beers I had consumed that afternoon had lowered my defences completely and now I was a hiccupping, sobbing mess.

"Hey…hey…"

The truck slowed and then rolled to a stop. The next thing I knew I was being gathered in hot arms and placed on Sam's lap while he ran a hand soothingly up and down my back.

It almost felt like the tears were never going to stop. I had held it all in for so long and now it was all coming out. I didn't know how long I cried for before I realised that I was still curled up on Sam's lap, my face buried into his neck. The low rumbling I had vaguely noticed was in fact coming from his chest pressed against mine rather than the truck engine which had been switched off without my noticing.

I struggled to compose myself as Sam made low, crooning sounds, trying to get me to calm down. As comfortable as I felt in that moment, I couldn't forget that Sam was the reason why Jake wasn't talking to me anymore in the first place; he was part of the reason why I was upset.

Drawing in several deep, shuddering breaths, I managed to stop crying, and I brushed impatiently at my wet cheeks, annoyed at myself for showing weakness in front of someone else.

"Sorry."

I forced myself to push away from his warm embrace and slide back over to my own side of the cab. I seemed to be doing nothing but apologising to Sam today. No-one would ever believe that I wasn't normally this bad-tempered…maybe it was all the beer.

Sitting back in my seat, I resolutely pushed my hair back behind my ears and stared straight ahead, waiting for Sam to start the truck again.

He didn't move.

I finally chanced a look at him only to start when I found him watching me intently.

"You don't have a friend's house to stay at, do you?" he eventually asked, his voice carefully even.

I looked away from him before I answered. "No. Since…" I couldn't continue.

There was a long pause.

"Where were planning on staying?"

I shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it. I only said that so that Charlie wouldn't worry about me."

He sounded angry when he next spoke. "He's got every right to be worried if you're going out doing stupid things like getting drunk with no way of getting home."

It was true; I knew it was true. It still hurt to have a man who was a virtual stranger tell me this though.

I just shook my head, unable to talk, to defend myself.

Sam sighed and I glanced across at him.

He looked…tired. One hand was rubbish at his temple and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes that I hadn't noticed before. But then, if he really was as exhausted as he looked then why was he wasting his time driving all the way to Port Angeles just to pick up a drunk girl he didn't really know.

"Come on."

Eventually, he started the truck again and pulled back onto the road.

I looked around anxiously as we turned off the main road into Forks. "Where are we going?"

He grimaced. "Back to mine. You don't have anywhere to stay and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you wander the streets all night."

My heart sank. Go to his house? To stay? I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him, especially when I thought about Jake and the haunted look that came into his eyes when he talked about the older boy and his gang.

"I don't want to go back to yours. I've changed my mind; I want to go home."

He scowled at me. "Don't worry about your virtue, sweetheart. I've got to go out again as soon as we get back. You'll be perfectly safe and I'll drive you back to Port Angeles in the morning to pick up your truck."

I opened my mouth to protest, but nothing came out. I couldn't think what to say and before my brain could engage with my mouth we were pulling into a long downhill drive and parking in front of a small two-storey house.

He turned off the engine and climbed out of the truck, leaving me behind. I stayed where I was sitting. I didn't know what to do. I could leave now while I had the chance, make my way across to Billy and Jake's and hope Charlie wouldn't be too mad at me, or I could take Sam up on his offer to stay at his while he was off doing... whatever.

Something told me that if I stepped through that front door though that things would change. I didn't know how or why, but a tingling in the base of my spine warned me that this decision was one that would change things.

As I sat there a spot of water appeared on the windscreen, follow by another, followed by a torrent.

Well, that settled it then. If I tried walking away now then I would end up drenched. Plus despite my reservations towards him and his suspicious behaviour, Sam _had_ looked out for me tonight.

I took a deep breath and then let myself out and ran towards the house. I hesitated on the porch for a second, staring into the gloom of the house and then stepped through the open door.


	2. Chapter 2

**So here's the second chapter of Resistance. I hope you all like it and thank you so much to everyone who's reading.**

**As you may or may not have noticed, I do not own Twilight. Sometimes this makes me sad.**

**Resistance**

The house was nearly in complete darkness with only the faint sheen of light emanating from upstairs. From what I could make out, Sam's house was mostly open plan with a huge living room separated from the kitchen by a breakfast bar. In one corner there was a closed door leading to what I guessed was a bathroom.

A set of wooden stairs ran along the back of the living room, and after quickly determining that Sam wasn't anywhere downstairs that I could see I moved slowly towards the faint light.

Unfortunately, I'd forgotten about the beers that I'd drunk earlier that evening and promptly lost my balance when I lifted my foot to the first step, crashing heavily against the wall.

"Oww."

Cursing myself inside my head, I rubbed my hand over my now sore arm and reached out to grab the rail so that I wouldn't overbalance again. The light in front of me dimmed and I squinted upwards to see Sam's silhouette shadowed above me.

I couldn't make out his face in the darkness, but his tone was grim was he spoke. "What happened?"

I shrugged, even though I knew he wouldn't be able to see me. "I tripped. It's no big deal."

He didn't reply but it was almost like I could feel his disapproval radiating down towards me.

"Come on," he eventually said.

I continued slowly up the stairs and blinked rapidly when I reached the top. The light up here was a lot brighter than it had looked from downstairs. A bare light bulb lit up a narrow corridor which had three doors running along it – two on one side and one on the other. I followed the sound of Sam's movements to the single door on my right and found myself in what looked like the master bedroom.

A giant bed took up most of the space in the room with a closet, a small bedside table and a chair being the only other furniture. It looked…Spartan, was the only way I could think to describe it. There was no personality in this room, no clues about what kind of man Sam Uley was. There was small bathroom off to one side where Sam had retreated and when I shuffled a bit closer I saw that he had changed out of the jeans and checked shirt that he had been wearing when he arrived at the bar and was now clothed only in a pair of raggedy cut-offs, his feet bare. It was the same uniform that he and his gang had been wearing when Jake had told me to go away, that we weren't friends anymore, and I felt a chill run up my spine.

What had I been thinking coming back here with Sam? – Not that he had really given me much of choice. But I knew nothing about the man, despite his apparent dependability, except that he was the reason why my best friend had suddenly abandoned me.

And now what? Just because he had given me a ride home, he was trustworthy? A man takes me back to his house – a man I hardly know, no less – and then strips half-naked. I was an idiot. A half-drunk idiot, and I needed to get out of there, before I lost any more of my sense.

With that in mind, I changed direction, slipping back out of the bedroom and down the hallway. I managed to not fall over or crash into anything for once and relief at having gotten away was just beginning to spread through me when Sam caught me half way down the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

I froze and then reminded myself that I didn't have anything to feel guilty for. "I changed my mind," I blurted out. "I know you said I could stay and that was really kind of you, especially as you didn't have to drive me all the way back from Port Angeles, but it would… it would be…" I scuttled down the stairs faster as Sam loomed into view behind me, flicking the lights on in the lower half of the house as he did. "It would be an imposition," I finished. "And so I thought I would go."

Sam crossed his arms over his shirtless chest and frowned, and I tried not to notice the way that his muscles bulged threateningly as a result.

"Go where?" he asked. "You've already told me that there's nowhere else you can stay tonight and I'm certainly not going to have you roaming the streets, especially not in this weather.

I glanced uncertainly out of the window, where the rain had increased in volume, lashing against the windows. It didn't look good, but then I wasn't so sure that staying inside was the wisest option either.

"I'll..." My brain wasn't working as fast as I wanted it to and my lack of options was glaringly obvious. "I just don't want to...impose," I repeated lamely.

Sam blinked and then finally uncrossed his arms.

"I wouldn't have brought you here if you were imposing." He moved towards the back door. "Besides, I've got to go out, so you won't be getting in anyone's way...if that's what you were worried about."

I glanced towards the window again. He was going to go out in _this_? After telling me not to?

"Why?" I couldn't help asking.

He paused and turned back to me. "Why what?"

"Why are you going out? It's raining."

Why did you bring me here? Why are you now leaving me alone? Why did you come to that bar in Port Angeles?

I only asked the first question; I was too afraid of the answers to verbalize the others out loud.

Sam frowned again and it flashed across my mind that I had never seen him look anything less than deadly serious all the time. His constant, blank-faced composure unnerved me, especially since I felt anything other than composed.

"I have..." This time it was him who hesitated briefly. "...responsibilities on the reservation."

"Then why did you come and fetch me?"

There! I had asked it, even though I was half-dreading the answer.

He blinked slowly again and then shook his head, a small movement, so small I nearly missed it.

"You should get some sleep, Bella," he eventually replied, not answering the question. "The spare room isn't made up, but you can use my bed." He was all business now. "I'm going to be out all night so you don't have to worry about getting in the way or being disturbed. I've left some aspirin on the side. You should take it; you don't want to have a hangover tomorrow."

He hesitated again for a brief second and then spun on his heel and left, the back door banging behind him as he went.

As if drawn by some mysterious tie, I shuffled over to the door he had just exited and peered out into the gloom. He wasn't out there, not that I could see anyway, but then it was so dark and the weather so bad that you could see anything. What was he doing out there?

Shivering, I looked around the room I was in now that it was lit up. A large table with eight chairs around it dominated the room, but towards the front of the house there was a small lounge area with a TV and two old, battered sofas in front of it. That was it. A quick glimpse into the kitchen revealed that it was just as bare. Like the bedroom, there was nothing in the rest of the house that indicated that Sam lived here.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I gave myself a hug. As much as it felt wrong to be here - wrong to be in Sam's house, wrong to take him up on his offer of a bed for the night - he was right, I didn't have anywhere else to go. I could only imagine the look on Charlie's face if I tried to go home now, drunk, dishevelled and without my truck or the friend I'd said I'd be with. I'd be grounded for weeks.

Staying here was the option that most made sense in that moment. And then in the morning I would get Sam to take me back to Port Angeles and pick up my truck, and that would be the end of it.

Turning the light off behind me, I stumbled my way up the stairs once more, fumbling my way towards the master bedroom once more.

I paused once I actually reached the bed.

Not only had Sam left me the aspirin as promised, but he had also laid out a glass of water, a clean t-shirt and pair of shorts to sleep in and a clean, unused toothbrush. He had thought of everything.

It was a kind gesture – thoughtful – and it made it just that little bit harder to hate him for what he done to Jacob.

The beers I had drunk earlier that evening had begun to take their toll on me. My brain was becoming fuzzier and my body felt heavy. Stifling a yawn, I moved slowly around the unfamiliar room, getting ready for bed.

I pulled back the covers and then paused. Sam had said that I was safe, that he was out of the house for the whole night – again I couldn't figure out why anyone would go out so late, especially in the middle of a storm – but the part of me that had been raised as a police chief's daughter was less trustful. Not only did I hardly know Sam, but I was alone in his house, at night, and no-one else had a clue where I was.

Hurrying back over to the door, I flipped the lock, and then pushed the chair over to block the entrance to the room. They were flimsy defensives, but I felt better for them.

It didn't take long for me to fall asleep after that and the next thing I knew, I was woken up by the sound of banging downstairs.

I bolted upright, confused for a moment as to where I was, my head pounding, before I remembered the events of the night before: the loneliness that had swept over me yesterday when I realised that Jacob never wanted to speak to me again, driving to Port Angeles, sitting in a greasy bar drinking. Sam.

The chair was still wedged under the door handle and now, in the cold light of day, I felt a little bit foolish. In fact, I felt a lot foolish. Last night had been an exercise in stupidity. What had I been thinking? – getting drunk, leaving myself stranded with nowhere to go, having a meltdown in front of Sam, the man who had convinced my best friend that I was no good, forcing him to offer me a place to stay.

Urgh. I was an idiot.

The best thing I could do now was get out of here, back to my truck and back to normal life as quickly as possible.

Scrambling to get dressed, I hopped about as I pulled my sneakers back on, pushing back the chair as I did so. Grabbing my jacket, I paused for a brief second, gathering my composure – what there was left of it – before unlocking the door and heading downstairs.

As I got to the top of the stairs, I heard two voices in the kitchen below and realised that Sam wasn't alone. There was another man with him and despite not being able to hear what they were saying exactly, I could tell from the tone of their voices that they were arguing.

The first stair down creaked when I stood on it and the voices immediately stopped talking, Sam appearing before me a second later. I blinked down at him. Even with my general clumsiness, I wasn't making enough noise for him to have heard me coming down.

"Bella." His face was as impassive as it had been the day I confronted Jacob. "You're awake."

I nodded and fought the urge to fidget. I just wanted to get out of there at that point, but Sam was blocking my way.

As if he realised that, he abruptly stepped aside. "You must want some breakfast." Turning his back on me, he walked in the direction of the kitchen.

I followed him more slowly. "Actually, I'm not that hungry, thanks. I'd rather..." My words trailed off as I saw the owner of the other voice I had heard earlier. My mouth slammed shut.

It was one of them. One of Sam's acolytes, as Jake had called them. This one was shorter than Sam, they all seemed to be anyway, and I vaguely recognised him as one of the ones that we had seen cliff-diving only a few weeks before. I wracked my memory for his name.

Jared. That was it. This one was Jared. The one who had also been a friendly, talented boy before he had dropped all his friends to hang out with the older man. He was shirtless, like Sam was, and was dressed in the strange uniform that their little gang had all adopted.

Meeting his eyes, I noticed that he had been checking me out just as suspiciously as I had been looking at him. A scowl crossed his face.

"Jared." Sam's voice was low, warning.

Jared stopped staring and glanced towards his friend wordlessly, questioningly.

"Bella stayed here last night when she couldn't get home," Sam explained shortly. "Bella, this is Jared. Jared, Bella."

"I know who she is." The other boy was glaring at me again. I could only imagine how the whole situation looked to him – me coming down the stairs after spending the night, looking crumpled and dishevelled. I tried to ignore him, dragging my thoughts back to the issue at hand.

"Do you mind taking me back to my truck please? I think the sooner I get back home, the better."

Sam frowned. "Are you not hungry?" He seemed confused.

I shook my head. "No, but my dad will worry if I'm not back before long."

He studied my face and then nodded slowly. "All right then." He turned to the other boy. "Jared, I'm just running up to Port Angeles. I'll be back before long. Swap out with Paul when he's done."

Jared raised an eyebrow. "And her?"

I would've been insulted if I hadn't been so desperate to get out of there, away from Sam Uley and his gang, and back to my safe, sound life again.

A strange sound emerged from Sam, something that almost sounded like a snarl. My arms came up to wrap nervously around my waist. I didn't know what was going on between the two boys but I didn't want to be a part of it. "Leave it, Jared."

Jared ignored the admonition. "You know Jake will be..."

"Jared!"

The younger man stopped, his jaw clenched, and then spun around on his heel, stalking towards the door. "You know he'll have questions," he bit out before disappearing out the back of the house with a slam that made me jump.

Sam turned back to face me, a strange look upon his face. His eyes glanced down to my hands and following his gaze, I was surprised to see that I was shaking a little. I needed to go. Now.

"My truck," I prompted, my voice almost a whisper.

He reached out and grabbed his keys off the side, throwing them to me. I fumbled to catch them but somehow managed to keep them from falling onto the floor.

"You can wait in the car if you want. I just need to grab a shirt."

He gave another one of those inscrutable looks and then walked past me, his arm brushing against mine, raising goosebumps, before taking the stairs two at a time.

I practically fled the house, taking huge gulps of fresh air once I got outside.

Just one more hour, I told myself. Just one more hour of Sam Uley and then I would be done.

No more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three is here at last and to apologise for how long it's taken, it's even twice as long as it was meant to be on my plan. In any case, I hope you all like it and thank you so much for sticking with me.**

**As always, I would like to state that I don't own Twilight.**

**Resistance**

Sam drove me home in silence.

When we finally reached the parking lot where I had left my truck, I breathed a sigh of relief. At last, it was nearly over.

Sam had barely pulled his truck to a stop before I was unbuckling my seat belt, fumbling to open the door.

"Hey." He quickly braked, turning the engine off and leaning over to grip the door handle, halting my exit. "What's the hurry?" He was close now. Too close really. It unnerved me.

I shook my head. I really didn't understand him at all.

"There's no hurry. I just need to be getting back." I paused and then tried to sound less ungrateful than I suspected I did. "Thank you, for letting me stay last night and everything."

He moved back over to his side of the cab once more. "It was nothing."

It wasn't nothing, but I still didn't know what to think of his actions or his behaviour last night, so I kept my mouth shut and nodded in acknowledgment.

I didn't know what else to say so with a quick nod, I slid out of his truck, and scurried across the now empty lot towards my truck, breathing a sigh of relief once I climbed inside. I rested my head against the steering wheel, breathing in the familiar smell of cracked leather and old tobacco.

The sound of a horn beeping caught my attention and I looked up to see that Sam's silver truck was still lingering about, clearly waiting for me to leave. Pulling a face at the idling vehicle, I tugged my seatbelt on and started the engine, satisfied when the other truck finally pulled out and disappeared back down the road to Forks. Squeezing my eyes shut briefly, I followed the other truck, although I wasn't too surprised when my truck fell behind his until the flash of silver was out of sight.

I was glad he was gone. It gave me time to think about last night.

In some ways I was glad that Sam had turned up. I couldn't remember how much I had drunk last night, but I was sure that my fabulous plan to sleep in my truck in the parking lot would have ended badly, particularly as in the grim light of day, I could see just how isolated the bar was. I could only imagine the trouble I could have gotten into with the drunken crowd in a lonely spot.

A shiver ripped down my spine.

So yes, I supposed I was grateful to Sam on the one hand.

On the other, I was so annoyed by his highhandedness. I hadn't asked him to show up and rescue me, I still hadn't worked out how he even knew I was at the bar in the first place, no matter what he said about a 'friend' seeing me there, and I certainly wasn't his responsibility to take care of.

Wasn't it enough that he had taken my best friend from me without interfering with the rest of my life as well?

As I turned into the driveway, I consoled myself that no matter Sam's weird behaviour at least I wouldn't have to see him again. I just had to stay away for him and his strange cult of angry boys. That meant my plan to drink away my sorrows wasn't going to happen again. I didn't want to put myself in a position where I had to rely on him for help again.

Despite my good intentions though, I did dwell on Sam's actions for the next few days. I was so confused as to what was going on with him. Why take my best friend away, but then look out for me at the same time? It made no sense to me.

Was Sam a good guy or a bad guy? And if he was a good guy, then why did he make me so uneasy and why had Jake been scared of him before?

Jake. There was another problem.

I had tried so hard to get better for Charlie's sake, and for my own, and Jake had been a big part of that. He was like the lone ray of sunshine I had in this dreary place, and despite my best intentions, without him, I could feel my mood sinking lower once more, the familiar numbness sweeping over me.

It wasn't as all-pervading as last time though. This time I could still think…still feel… At times it felt like I was feeling too much.

I tried to keep myself occupied like before: school, work, taking care of the house and Charlie. This time it wasn't enough. Weekdays weren't so bad. School and homework kept me occupied enough that the days slipped by relatively quickly, but the weekends loomed in front of me with nothing but time to fill.

One long, wet weekend passed. Charlie was at work so I ended up stalking aimlessly around the house in circles, unsure of what to do with myself. I would have gone out again, but a flash of Sam's inscrutable face in my memory made me shelve that idea.

By the time the next weekend rolled around, I was determined not to spend it in the house alone again. It was a sure way to go crazy.

It was the map on my desk that gave me the idea to try and find the meadow that Edward and I had visited again. While Jake was the map-reader between us, he had shown me enough that I was sure I could figure out the rest. Besides, from our previous deductions we had worked out that there were only two more breaks in the forest big enough to be the meadow. All I had to do was pick one and head out, following our rough directions.

My renewed sense of purpose had clearly convinced Charlie that I was feeling better, so it didn't take much to persuade him that I would be fine by myself if he wanted to go fishing. Eyeing me suspiciously for a moment, he had relented and pressed a rough kiss to my forehead, telling me to have a good day and be careful.

He left with a backwards look and a fond smile and for a second I wanted to call him back to stay with me, so I could forget about the loneliness and numbness and feel human again. He would have happily stayed if I'd asked, but the small part of me that yearned for Edward to return just so I could be me again made me clench my jaw shut and watch the door close behind him.

After packing my hiking boots, the map and compass and some lunch into a bag, I headed out in my truck, driving to the spot that Jake and I usually started from when venturing into the woods on our mission.

Pulling my boots and waterproof jacket on, I headed off, slowly following the directions on the map and stopping every now and then to double-check where I was.

As I trudged and stumbled my way through the forest, I began to wonder what I was doing.

Edward was gone and he wasn't coming back. I knew that. I wasn't sure what going to the meadow was supposed to achieve really; it certainly wouldn't bring him back. I supposed if I found the meadow then at least some part of doomed relationship would feel real, especially since he'd destroyed the rest of the of the evidence of our time together.

After an hour though, I was beginning to lose hope.

Through gaps in the trees I could see that clouds were beginning to form overhead and the forest grew darker. It was beginning to get harder to make out the roots and branches that threatened to trip me up at every moment and a cool wind chilled me through my jacket.

As in the calm before the storm, the entire forest quietened unnaturally. All of the sounds that I had become accustomed to disappeared and the hairs on the back of my neck began to prickle. Everything was still...

Too still.

I had never really had an adequate sense of danger before – it was something the Cullens frequently joked about – but all of a sudden every part of my body was screaming at me to run, to get out the forest as fast as possible.

There was a flash of black in the corner of my eye and I spun around with a gasp. Behind me a branch cracked. I spun again, but couldn't see anything.

The trees felt like they were closing in on me, there was too much I couldn't see, too many dark shadows.

My breath began to speed up, panic welling in throat. My eyes blurred as they scanned the woods around me, trying to work out which direction would lead me back to the main road and my truck.

A loud growl pierced the air, followed by the sound of two trees crashing together. Clapping my hand over my mouth to keep myself from shrieking, I finally managed to orient myself and stumble back in the direction I came from.

More crashes came from behind me, the growling growing, and for the first time in a long time, I ran. Luck was on my side and I only tripped twice, both times managing to regain my balance before I fell.

Eventually I could hear the sound of the road up ahead of me. Just a little bit more and I would reach the relative safety of the truck. I didn't know what kind of creature was behind me, although instinct told me that I had been within twenty metres of a vampire, but a part of me didn't want to know.

I could see the tarmac of the road now through the trees. Almost there…

A figure ran in front of me, cutting off my exit route. My heart leapt into my throat and I screamed instinctively, my feet skidding to a halt.

The man in front of me clapped his hands over his ears. "Jesus Christ, woman! Can you stop that racket!"

My hand clapped over my racing heart as I took in the sight of one of Sam's gang. This was one I hadn't met before, but he had removed his hands from his ears and was scowling angrily at me.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Running around the forest like an idiot."

What was I doing here? _What was he doing here?_

At least I was dressed for the role of hiking through the woods. As with so many of Sam's little followers, this man was barely dressed, wearing cargo shorts and little else. He didn't even have shoes on!

"I.. I don't…" I finally caught my breath. "What are you doing here?"

He smirked at me. "What do you think I'm doing, Princess? I'm enjoying the great outdoors."

I blinked at him. He was crazy. They were all crazy.

"I need to get back," I mumbled. I started to push past him, but he stuck his arm out to block me.

"Not so fast, leech lover. Where do you think you're going?"

Was he serious? "I'm going home! And you need to move." I shoved at his arm, but he was like an unmoveable boulder blocking my path.

"Not so fast." A second voice came from behind me and I turned to find the boy from the other day, Jared, had appeared. "You just can't keep out of trouble, can you?" He frowned.

I didn't know what was going on.

There were monsters in the woods, I was sure of it, and all I wanted to do was go home and try and forget about Edward, Jake, Sam and these half-naked boys who seemed to show up everywhere.

"Look, I just want to go home. I don't care what's going on. I just…yeah."

I tried to push past the first guy again, but this time he grabbed my arm.

"No can do. We've got our orders and you're coming with us."

"What?!" I shrieked.

He began towing me in the direction of my truck, but I wasn't about to let him manhandle me so easily. I jerked against his grasp and managed to loosen his grip, only for Jared to grab my other arm.

"Hey! Let go of me."

They ignored my yelling and practically lifted me up as they dragged me to the road. My legs kicked out trying to stop them and I managed to catch the one I didn't know on the back of his knee. He faltered and swore at me, trembles began to wrack his body strong enough that I could feel them through where he gripped me.

"Paul," Jared warned the boy.

Paul. That was it. My memory jogged at the mention of his name.

The tremors stopped, but a hand pressed briefly against my side before I heard the familiar jangle of keys.

"Hey." Had they just stolen my keys out of my pocket?

My truck finally came into view and despite my protests I was unceremoniously picked up and bundled into the passenger seat. Jared slid behind the wheel and a thump indicated that Paul had jumped into the bed of the truck behind me.

Jared pulled out onto the road, but instead of turning back towards Forks, he took the left turning that would lead to La Push.

"What the hell are you doing?" I finally shouted, ignoring his wince at the volume of my voice. "Where are we going? Take me home."

He seemed unconcerned by my outburst. "No. You're coming with us. Sam's orders."

"Sam's…" I couldn't believe it. Even when I tried to avoid him, he was making his presence felt. "What the hell does Sam have to do with any of this? And who died and made him king of you anyway?"

A muscle in Jared's jaw clenched. "Look, Swan, I don't like this anymore than you do, but Sam said to take you back to his, so I'm taking you back to his."

I scoffed at him. "So you always do what Sam says?"

Jared shook his head. "This is all your fault anyway. I mean, what kind of idiot goes traipsing through the forest by herself anyway, especially when there have been bear sightings? I bet your father doesn't know you're out here."

I ignored the flash of guilt that hit me at the mention of Charlie and focused on Jared's mention of the bear sightings. I had believed the rumours of the sightings, but having heard that growling and the crashing in the forest earlier, as well as that flash of a figure running nearby, I now wasn't convinced at all.

I still didn't understand why I couldn't just forget it all and retreat back to the safety of my house, rather than be towed forcibly by these strange boys to Sam's place.

"What does it matter?" I bluffed. "I'm out of the forest now, which is clearly what you wanted. Why not let me just go home?"

"Fuck if I know," Jared bit out, turning the truck onto the long drive I remembered from my last visit to Sam's. He jerked the vehicle to a halt. "Right, get out."

Rebellion rose within me. "No."

He sighed heavily. "Just get out the vehicle, Swan."

I lifted my chin up defiantly and crossed my arms.

The door next to me was suddenly pulled open, the hinges squeaking in protest. Paul reached in and hit the release on my seatbelt, pulling me bodily out of the truck.

"Hey." My arms and legs immediately lashed out and I was promptly dropped on my ass on the driveway.

"For fuck's sake, woman," he spat at me. "Why can't you just make all of our lives easier and do what you're supposed to?"

I scrambled to my feet. "Because I don't have to do this. I don't care what goes on in your little gang, but I don't answer to Sam Uley! I don't even know why I'm here. I don't want to be here."

I was nearly crying at this point, confusion and frustration combining to leave tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. I just wanted to be left alone. Was that too much to ask?

"Shit!" Paul swore. He ran a hand through his hair and then jerked his head towards the house. "Get her inside before she has a meltdown."

He stalked into the unlocked house, and after a minute of silence. Jared placed his hand tentatively on my shoulder. "Come on. Let's get inside. Sam'll be back soon and you can probably go when he gets here."

Sniffing, I let him guide me up the porch. "I just don't get what's going on."

"Yeah, me neither," he muttered under his breath. I don't think I was supposed to hear him.

Once inside I sat uncomfortably on the edge of the sofa while Jared sprawled on one of chairs surrounding the table. Paul in the meantime raided the kitchen, muttering under his breath as he did.

"When do you think the others will be back?" he finally asked his friend.

Jared shrugged. "Probably once the fire's burnt down. I doubt the leech gave them any trouble once we left."

My head tilted to one side as I tried to work out what they were talking about. Clearly burning something in the forest…but a leech?

Paul grunted. "Do you think it's got anything to do with her?" I saw him nod in my direction out of the corner of my eye. Clearly, Paul had no problem talking about me even when I was sat a couple of metres away from him.

"Don't see how." Jared glanced in my direction, but I kept my gaze resolutely forward. "She only ran with the Cullens as far as I know." My heart clenched at the sound of that name. "I don't think any of the other parasites have anything to do with her. Sam didn't think so anyway."

Other parasites? Did… Were they talking about the Cullens? As in…vampires?

I looked over at the two boys and sensing my scrutiny both chose that moment to shut up, Paul glaring at me as he shoved a chicken drumstick into his mouth. Seconds later, both of their heads snapped to the side, clearly hearing something that I couldn't.

It was only a minute later that Sam walked through the door, his eyes immediately finding me, followed by Embry and… Jake.

My hand came up to clasp over my mouth. I knew I had seen him like this already, but I just couldn't get over how different Jake now looked with his tattoo and his shorter hair. He looked older, harder and completely miserable. I wanted to cry for him.

My view of him was cut off by Sam moving in front of him, walking up to where I sat.

"Bella," he greeted me. "Are you okay?"

I met his gaze begrudgingly. "I'm fine. I'll be better when I can leave."

Sam blinked, his eyes washing over my body before snapping back up to my face again. "Nobody's stopping you."

I couldn't help the bitter laugh that exploded from me at that statement.

"_Nobody's stopping me?_ Your little cult members have done nothing _but_ stop me from leaving." I shook my head. "I didn't want to be here, but I was dragged every step of the way."

Sam turned his head to look at Jared and Paul.

"You told us to bring her here and keep her safe until you got back," Paul answered the unspoken question easily.

Sam squeezed his eyes shut briefly and turned back to me. "I'm sorry you thought that you were-"

"Forced here," I interjected when it looked like he didn't know how to continue the sentence. "I was." I stood up, trying to look confident, even though my knees were shaking. I had never been the confrontational sort and standing up to Sam was making my stomach tie itself up in knots. "And I'd like to go now."

Sam sighed and shifted uncomfortably. He appeared discomfited by the conversation.

At some unspoken sign, the rest of the gang stood and slowly filed out of the back door. Jacob paused before he left though, casting a longing glance towards me that was broken when a low rumble emerged from Sam behind me. I wanted to say something, anything, but he was gone before I could open my mouth.

"What were you doing in the forest today, Bella?" Sam asked.

I sighed heavily. I was so tired of all this. "I was looking for something, not that it's any of your business."

Sam frowned. "You know it's not safe out there," he said. "You could have been hurt."

I bit my lip and ducked my head. "I've been told that, but I wasn't and I won't go there again so it's not a problem. Now can I go?"

Sam crossed over to the far side of the room and spun and strode back towards me in three long steps. "Do you even…?" He waved a hand in frustration. "You don't even know how much danger you were in today." He let out a half-laugh. "How close –."

"How close to what?" My curiosity got the better of me. Could he really know about the Cullens and the other vampires that roamed about? He seemed to, but him and the others all spoke in half-sentences and riddles.

"Nothing." He dismissed my question. Rubbing a hand over his face, he sighed, and for the first time I noticed that he was covered in what looked like soot, a long barely-healed cut trailing across his shoulder that hadn't been there the other week.

"Sam, what's going on?" I wasn't sure I wanted to know, but I needed to ask.

For a second, I thought he was going to answer, but then he waved off my concern. "It's nothing. You just need to listen to people when they say that the forest is dangerous and you need to stay out of it. You need to take of yourself better."

The concern I felt melted away.

I knew that I shouldn't have gone into the forest today. I had even admitted it to myself, and after what I had experienced, I wasn't planning to repeat the venture again. I didn't need yet another person telling me what to do or how to do it.

I had let Edward guide me in what I did before, and now I felt like I was being handled with kid-gloves again by Sam. What I needed was someone who helped me be stupid sometimes and didn't tell me 'I told you so' if it went wrong afterwards. Jake had been perfect for that, but now he was gone, lost to Sam's cult; I didn't need the man himself now trying to weigh in and dictate what I should or shouldn't be doing.

"I think I'll be just fine, as long as random men don't keep popping up and kidnapping me."

He scratched the back of his neck. "They did it for you own good, Bella."

"Bullshit" Even I was a little surprised by my vehement reaction, but I was so tired of people doing things 'for my own good'.

His words reminded me too much of Edward's last words and I could sense the old, familiar panic rising.

"Just let me go home, Sam," I pleaded. "I don't want to be here. I don't know why you insisted I be here. Please, I just want to go."

He stared at me for a minute, a deep frown on his face, before he reached over and grabbed my keys from the table where Jared had left them. Wordlessly, he held them out and placed them in my hand.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to inconvenience you. I just wanted to check that you were safe."

He seemed sincere, but I couldn't let myself give him an inch. I didn't want this to happen again and I didn't understand why it had happened in the first place.

"It's not your job to check whether I'm safe or not," I told him. "I'm not your concern."

With a nervous glance sideways at him, I scurried out of his house only to find Jacob leaning against my truck. He straightened when he saw me.

"Bella," he began.

"Don't," I interrupted him. "Jacob, please, just…don't."

He didn't look happy, but he stepped aside and let me climb into my truck and drive off.

I made it halfway home before the tears came.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's the latest chapter for you all, and I haven't even taken four months to write it. Hopefully I'll be able to get the next one out soonish too. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying this. Thank you so much for reading and for being so supportive.**

**I don't actually own Twilight. I just mess around with it.**

**Resistance**

I sat in my rocking chair later that night staring out the window.

I had taken a shower when I had got home, rinsing the filth of the forest off of me. It was only when I was clean, the water streaming over my head, that the reality of what I had gone through hit me. I had begun to shake and had only managed to gain control of my body again once I heard Charlie return home.

Making some excuse about falling over in the dirt outside the house, we had shared a quiet but comfortable dinner before he had retreated to the living room, beer in hand, to watch the game, and I escaped up to my room.

He had called goodnight about an hour ago, and now I was left awake in the quiet house with just my thoughts for company.

I didn't understand what had happened this afternoon, although I was fairly certain that there had been a vampire in the forest nearby and that Sam's mysterious gang not only knew about it, but knew what it was.

What they were doing running around the forest if there were vampires nearby though was another question.

Sighing heavily, I decided that the best thing I could do was go to bed and try and sleep off the remainder of my shock.

I had just stood up when the sound of something hitting the side of the house made me jump. I hesitated, not sure whether my imagination was working on overtime or if I was about to be killed horribly by some kind of supernatural creature.

There was a clatter at the window as a stone hit it, and heart racing, I edged carefully toward the wall, trying to see outside without letting whoever was out there see me.

There was nothing there, at least, nothing that I could see with human eyes. I didn't know whether to be petrified or to accept that perhaps I was overreacting and that there was nothing there. I turned away slowly, only to let out a muffled shriek when another stone hit the window behind me.

Turning back, I released the catch, theorising that if there was a vampire out there, a lock on my window probably couldn't save me anyway. Pulling the window up, I peered out into the gloom.

"Psst, Bella. Hey, Bella!"

It took a minute to spot him hidden in the trees at the edge of the yard, but once I had found him, Jacob helpfully stepped further into the light, lifting his hand to wave.

"Bella."

I looked around, scanning the tree line behind him, but he seemed to be alone. I wondered if Billy knew that his son was wandering around Forks without a shirt on at two in the morning. At least this time he had sneakers covering his feet.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed as loudly as I dared. Charlie was a heavy sleeper, but it would just be my luck today that he would wake up and catch Jake lurking outside my bedroom window.

"I came to talk to you," he called back.

I sighed. "I'm not having a conversation with you hanging out my window in the middle of the night, Jake. Go home and come back in the morning if you still want to talk."

I started to move back, my arms coming up to draw my window down when he spoke again.

"Just move back then."

I frowned. "What?"

"Move back," he ordered.

Confused, I did what he said and then waited, although I didn't really know what I was supposed to waiting for. The tree branches outside creaked ominously and the seconds later Jake swung through the window, landing neatly on his feet like a cat.

"Huh." I guess everyone now had the ability to scale the tree as easy as can be.

Jake was looking around my room, nose wrinkled, a crease between his eyebrows. I hadn't realised it both times I had seen him before but sometime in the last month, he had gotten…big. There was no other word for it. He had been tall before, in a lanky sort of way, but now he was a giant towering over me. He looked like her had been weightlifting for years, his muscles defined and his shoulders bulked out.

He looked nothing like my Jacob anymore. He wasn't my Jacob anymore. I had to remember that. He was Sam's Jake now.

"Bella." He took a step forward, his arms half-rising as if he was going to hug me. I took a step back, my own arms crossing in front of me defensively.

I tried not to feel bad when his face fell at my silent rejection, but he was the one who had told me we were no longer friends, so I wasn't going to give him any leeway.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

He moved back so he was leaning against the chest of drawers. "I needed to see you. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

I shrugged. "I'm fine, as you can see."

"Bella," he paused and then leaned forward, "what were you doing in the forest today?" He searched my face.

"What were you doing there?" I countered. I hadn't seen him earlier, but I figured if Jared, Paul and Sam were running around in the forest then the odds were that Jake and Embry were there too.

"I…" He seemed to struggle with his words, almost choking. He closed his mouth, swallowed hard and then tried again. "We were…" Again he stopped before snarling in frustration. Jerking away, he stalked to the end of the room and then turned to face me. "I wish I could tell you," he said heavily, as if the words weighed upon him. "You have to believe me, I really wish I could."

I didn't understand. "So tell me."

He screwed up his face, opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. "I can't. I really _really_ can't, no matter how much I want to."

"Well then why are you here if you're not going to talk to me?" I asked, frustration leaking into my tone.

"I'm not supposed to be here," he confessed.

That made me angry, something that was happening a lot today. "Says who? Sam?" His flinch confirmed my suspicion. "You're seriously listening to Sam now? Taking orders from him? Is Sam the reason why you weren't talking to me in the first place?"

Jake wouldn't meet my eyes. "You don't understand."

I could have screamed. "Maybe I don't understand because no-one is explaining anything to me. What's going on, Jacob?"

He pursed his lips and shook his head.

I sighed again. "If you're not going to explain then you can just go, Jacob." The familiar tears of frustration pricked at my eyes. "I mean, if you're not going to explain anything, or even talk to me, then I don't know what you're doing here."

He tried to protest then. "Sam just-."

"I don't care about Sam," I interrupted him. "All I want at this point is for him to leave me alone…and you too," I added. I took a step forward and reached up to touch his shorn hair. "I hate what he's done to you."

Jake ducked his head and took a step back towards me, sensing that my sudden burst of anger had waned. "It's not his fault," he mumbled.

I stiffened at that. I still remembered what he had spat at me when I had managed to track him down at his house. It wasn't Sam's fault, he had said, it was the Cullens' fault. Trouble was, I couldn't see how whatever happened to Jake would be the Cullens' fault, unless, as I'd suspected, Sam's weird little gang knew something about what they were.

Cold Ones.

The phrase popped into my mind. The story Jake had told me on the beach, which had helped me guess Edward's secret, had pitted the tribe that lived on the reservation against the Cold Ones, the Cullens. It was the reason for the animosity between the family and the Res.

I filed that away into the back of my mind to think about later.

"And I don't think you're going to be left alone anytime soon," Jake continued.

I pulled back. "What do you mean?"

Jake shrugged, his eyes sliding away again. Straightening again, he brushed past me and walked over to the top my bed, running his fingers over the dreamcatcher hanging there. I took his former pose, leaning against the drawers. He remained lost in his thoughts for a while before moving to sit on my bed facing me.

I waited. I wasn't sure what to say to him.

"I'm sorry I left you," he finally said. "I didn't want to, but I thought it was for the best."

I squeezed my eyes shut briefly. "Then why did you?"

"Because of my promise," he explained simply. "I promised to protect you, to never hurt you like…he…did. I didn't want to stay away, but I didn't want to hurt you. I thought it was the only way…to keep my promise."

My breath caught in my throat. "I wish you hadn't." My voice wobbled. "I wish you hadn't gone." A stray tear rolled down my cheek and I wiped it away impatiently.

"Bells." Jacob stood up and grabbed my arm, pulling me into a hug. "I wish I hadn't either. I'm sorry," he said.

"I'm sorry too," I mumbled into his chest. "I'm sorry, Jake."

He hugged me tighter.

I could almost believe that things were still the same, but they weren't. Jake's increased height was just one indicator of that. It felt different to hug him now.

A loud howl pierced the air through the open window and I jumped in surprise.

Jake squeezed me once and then pulled back, his hand coming up to scratch at the back of his neck. Cool air blew in through the window and I was surprised to miss his warmth. It was strange, his skin felt so hot now, almost like Sam's. Just another piece of the mystery I guessed.

Jake crossed to the window and peered outside briefly, before turning back to me. "I need to go," he told me.

"What?" Was he crazy? "Jake, that was a wolf we just heard out there. You can't go out. What if you get attacked?"

He smirked, although she couldn't see anything funny about the situation.

"Don't worry," he reassured her. "I came over with Embry. He's out waiting for me. I'm sure we can take care of ourselves."

I rolled my eyes at his cocksure nature.

I followed him as he stuck one leg out the window and began to swing himself from the room.

"Wait. Are you…" I was almost scared to ask. "Are you coming back?"

He hesitated and then set his jaw. "Yes. I promise. I just…" He paused.

"Just what?" I prompted him.

He gave me a half smile. "It would just be so much easier if you remembered the stories I told you. You know half of it already, you must do. All this – me, Sam, the others – it would all make so much more sense to you if you just remember the stories I told you on the beach that one time."

_The stories!_ I knew it had something to do with the stories.

"The stories about the Cold Ones," I asked, ignoring him when he scoffed.

"Yeah, whatever."

He shifted his other leg to dangle out the window and braced his arms as if he was about to jump. It was with some horror that I noticed that the nearest tree branch was at least a metre away. I had no idea how he was going to make it.

"Jake-."

He jumped, and I clapped my hand over my mouth, trying not to scream as I envisaged him lying on the ground with bones broken. Somehow, he landed on his feet, knees bent, and I let out a shaky breath in relief. He straightened and then looked up back at me.

"Just try to remember, Bells," he called up. "Not just about the Cold Ones, but the rest as well. You deserve to know what's going on, especially since Sam's decided to keep his mouth shut."

It didn't make sense to me, none of this did, but I set it aside. Maybe I should be more worried about Sam and his gang and vampires in the forest right now, but I just wanted to know one more thing.

"Jake," I leaned out the window. "Are we still friends?"

It wasn't anything that anybody would think important, not considering what else was going on, but to me it was the most important thing left.

Even in the dark with only a faint light illuminating him, I could see the wide smile that crossed Jake's face.

"Sure sure."

With a salute, he ran off. I watched him go for as long as I could see him and then shut the window.

Shuffling across to my bed mechanically, I collapsed on top of the covers. That whole encounter felt...surreal. I could almost imagine that I'd dreamt it if Jake hadn't left me with even more questions whirling through my head.

I still didn't have any answers, I still didn't want anything to do with Sam Uley, but I had my best friend back.

It wasn't everything, but it was something. It was the best something.


End file.
